Has It Only Been Five Years?

Thanks to Lorelle for this comment regarding our blog at the Blog Herald:

However, not all blogs which create or deal in conspiracies give bloggers a bad name. Some blogs start with a conspiracy theory and then evolve with the theory and the fame. Screw Loose Change started out to “dispel the lies, distortions, and myths in the movie, Loose Change,” a conspiracy movie about 9/11. In the past five years, it has grown into an expert blog, cited by many news articles and reports, as a source for debunking the movie and 9/11 conspiracy theories that keep developing.

:)

It looks like this is part of a series on conspiracy theories. Here Lorelle talks about the money side of the CT business.

Last year, Sam Vaknin Ph.D. wrote in “The Economics of Conspiracy Theories” on the American Chronicle that many are profiting from conspiracy theories, writing books, selling magazines and television shows, even movies, becoming a celebrity for their conspiracy plots as the source or participant. In and of itself, the business of making money with conspiracies might be a conspiracy in itself:

I Was a Communist for the FBI

Or something:



Pleased to see I've been promoted to Flagwaver Shill. I assume this is Nico's work. I have been consistent on this; I don't endorse the no-planes theories, but I don't see them as nuttier than the rest of the MIHOP scenarios. And I'll give Nico one thing: I have never caught him in a direct lie, which makes him a rare person in the "Truth" movement.

Update: Nico advises us (in the comments) that it's not his work.

Hat tip to Bill M!

Screw Loose Change On BBC Radio!

Bumped Sunday Night

I will be appearing on the Have Your Say program next Monday, tentatively for a debate with Jason Bermas of the Loose Change crew. Have Your Say is a BBC World Service program. It will be an entertaining half hour and I'll post details about how and where to listen in as they become available.

Update: Latest word is that you'll be able to listen in to the segment sometime later today (still haven't recorded it) and that Jason and I will be joined by Dave Von Kleist of In Plane Sight and 9-11 Ripple Effect.

Cover Boy for the Phoenix New Times

Stephen Lemons has been working on this article on James and me and our battle against the crackpots for the last couple of months and it's an absolute delight. Enjoy!

Update: I would be remiss if I didn't point out that Steve has his own blog over at the New Times website, called Feathered Bastard. He covers a lot of topics and manages to get himself photographed with some lovely women. Always terrific writing and a keen wit; check it out!

What Politician Wants the Screw Loose Change Endorsement?

Okay, after wincing at that John McCain video that James linked a couple of posts ago, I have decided it is time for Screw Loose Change to offer its endorsement for President of the United States of America. And we do mean offer! Screw Loose Change is prepared to endorse as a blog (and not James or me personally) the first major party political candidate that calls out these creeps on one of their videos. John McCain is our natural candidate; after all, he wrote the introduction to the Popular Mechanics book.

But when presented with a chance to nail it down, McCain instead opted for humor. Thus far, the only candidate who has even quibbled with the kooks mildly is Barack Obama. So our endorsement is up for grabs.

There is a way to battle these kooks without knowing the arcana that they bring up, and my suggested response to these people is along these lines:

"I know you think you're noble patriots, but you're wrong. What you claim is not only mistaken, but it's damaging to the country, damaging to our image both abroad and at home. If you had any real evidence against the Bush Administration, the press would have covered it; instead you have grainy videos and carefully selected and misleading quotes. I'm not going to get into the details of what you claim because it's been refuted time after time."

There is no significant downside to a Republican candidate taking on these kooks and denouncing them for what they are. For the right Democrat, this could be a Sister Soljah moment.

It's Not Often We Agree With 9-11 Deniers

But there was an interesting segment in a recent roundtable (MP3 file) on the 9-11 "Truth" Movement in the UK that had me nodding my head in stunned agreement.

The moderator's last question to the roundtable was for people to mention their favorite movies, books, websites, etc., for 9-11 information. There are the predictable suggestions of Press For Truth and Loose Change and 9-11 Blogger. But one of the panelists (at about 68:20) says:

I would suggest the debunking sites. Go to 9-11 Myths (crosstalk), go to Screw Loose Change.

Now of course, we have come up many times on Truther podcasts and broadcasts, but usually the context is less than complimentary. Not this time:

Look at all those sites; there's no point on campaigning on them. If they can be debunked, why would you campaign on them?... The point is that too many people do campaign on the points that are debunked. People hear this information from the campaigners, and then go to 9-11 Myths and go, "Oh, well that's all a load of nonsense." Really, really educate yourselves. Don't go campaigning until you've done six months of research on what is cast-iron solid evidence.

Oh, Lord, if only we could get people to agree to stop talking about the silly stuff like "faster than freefall" or "squibs" or "fire can't melt steel"! I'm not quite sure what he means by cast-iron solid evidence; at one point the panel spends a hilarious couple minutes talking about the put options and how they were never cashed in, which betrays an economic illiteracy that is perhaps not surprising from a panel which is skewed far left with lots of talk about the importance of economic justice (i.e., socialism). Put options in the money are automatically cashed in at maturity. Ask a broker and then stop talking about the put options not being exercised, mmmmkay?

Screw Loose Change On Mancow!

I will be on the radio Friday morning with MANCOW to discuss Rosie O'Donnell and her recent "Joe Friday" routine regarding 9-11 and WTC-7. MANCOW is a nationally syndicated morning drive time show that airs in Chicago and 30 other markets around the country. My segment is scheduled to begin at 8:05 Central Time, but it may appear at different times elsewhere due to tape delay. Click here for details on the show; I am not sure if you can listen live over the internet, but I will check on this. Note: I am expecting only a 5-10 minute segment, and we will not be taking calls.

MANCOW had a memorable smackdown with Alex Jones, Dylan Avery and others. This guy goes on Alex Jones and spanks him like a red-headed stepchild.

Screw Loose Change Video Mentioned In Dallas Morning News

James Raglan, apparently a local columnist for the DMN, notes:

Before I get started, let me say this column is not a critique of Loose Change, the independent Internet film that suggests some U.S. government officials may have staged the 9/11 attacks.

Nor is this about Screw Loose Change, an equally delightful documentary that responds to the conspiracy theories and speculation contained in the aforementioned flick. If nothing else, you've got to love the in-your-face title.

Heheh. I wish more people would get the double entendre of "screw loose" as much as they got the screw "Loose Change" part, but what the hey, it works.

This is pretty good:

For what it's worth, I don't consider Mr. Cuban a loose – make that looser – cannon for financing the distribution of the flick. I watched Loose Change, and its rival, on the Internet and found them both to be quite – how should I put this – amusing.

Both films address probing, provocative questions. The problem I have with Loose Change lies in its answers, many of which are based on loosely strung-together facts, speculations and inferences that, when mixed together, drive conspiracy theorists wild.

Cuban is loving this, because everybody is talking about Mark Cuban and what he's doing. But he's full of it when he says:

"I don't believe the movie. Not at all," Mr. Cuban explained. "But I do believe that lies in the shadows are far more dangerous than lies you can confront and refute. There probably will be a movie that responds to this one, and we would be more than happy to distribute it as well, for the very same reason."

Hey, Mark, James just mentioned a movie that responds to this one. Why don't you put it on the same DVD?

Screw Loose Change on the Radio!

(This post will remain pinned to the top until Sunday night. Scroll down for newer content.)

I will be on the radio Sunday night (March 25) with my good friend Andrea Shea-King on her eponymous show out of Orlando. If you're not fortunate enough to live in the WDBO area, you can listen in live on the internet. You can also participate in the live chatroom for the show by going here and typing in your nickname, city & state and clicking "Submit Query". Our segment will be broadcast at about 9:30 PM Eastern Time, 6:30 on the West Coast. We hope to be joined by Earl Johnson, a WTC 9-11 survivor who has recently lectured at the University of Wisconsin on his experiences on that fateful day and about the nuttery of Kevin Barrett. Earl has written a book about his experience, called "Stairwell to Heaven".

“It came in about 43 stories over my head,” Johnson said. “You could feel the steel in that building reverberate through the soles of your shoes. We took off running down the stairs but only made it down seven or eight flights before we came to a complete stop.”

After about 45 minutes of waiting in the stairwell and having already heard the second plane hit the south tower, Johnson said he and those around him were still only halfway down.

However, amid the fear and panic during those agonizing moments, Johnson said he remembered the incredible way in which people reached out to help one another.

“What I’m most proud to talk about is how I watched complete strangers reach out to the people next to them to help beat that fear back,” Johnson said. “Nobody asked for anything; it was just given.”

Screw Loose Change Video Mentioned on Page Six!

Kudos to Markyx for getting noticed in the gossip section! Any truth to the rumors about you and Britney?

Screw Loose Change On the Beeb!

I am scheduled to be interviewed on the BBC sometime this afternoon, I assume for later airing. I will put up more details as they become available.

Update: The segment will air on the BBC World Today program which is broadcast over many NPR stations. You can also listen here at 23:00 GMT, which I believe is 6:00 PM on the East Coast, with rebroadcasts at 10:00 PM and 1:00 AM. They had already interviewed the Loose Change boys (all three participated) and asked me a few questions. I have done quite a few radio interviews, but this was the first time I'd actually done one from a studio. Thanks to Bill Shedd and the rest of the folks at KJZZ and the BBC for setting this up!

Update: We may have to wait for the show to be archived at that link; I don't appear to be in the 23:00 GMT show that is up there as of now.

Update II: Others heard the stream of the show at this link. It will be on again at 10:00 Eastern, and eventually the archive will be up.

Update III: The show is now available in the archive under 23:00 GMT. The segment on Loose Change begins about 3/4 of the way through the show. I am very pleased with the results--the Loosers talk too fast and I came across as calm but confident. Shows you what good sound editing can do. ;)